Elkridge man charged in death of infant daughter

Luke Lavoie, llavoie@tribune.com

An Elkridge man faces charges after allegedly shaking his 6-week-old daughter, Aubrey, to death, according to Howard County police.

Aron James Krampf, 26, of the 6200 block of Ducketts Lane, was charged Wednesday evening with first- and second-degree assault, child abuse and reckless endangerment in connection with the Tuesday incident that occurred at Krampf's home, police said.

Police said they anticipate charging Krampf with murder as well. The murder charge likely will be added when the case goes before a grand jury for indictment later this month.

According to police, officers and paramedics were called to the home at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday for a report of an unconscious infant who was not breathing. The infant was transported to Howard County General Hospital before being flown to Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital.

Police said they believe Krampf shook his daughter to stop her from crying. The infant had numerous injuries, including brain hemorrhaging and fractures throughout her body, according to police.

According to charging documents, Krampf initially suggested his daughter's injuries were caused by his 2-year-old son. Krampf said he and the baby were in bed watching a movie when he got up for a minute or two, leaving her lying in the middle of the bed. He said when he came back his daughter was lying face down on the floor next to the bed. Krampf initially said his 2-year-old son, who was not in the room when he left, must have come in from another room and pushed the infant off the bed.

Krampf's brother, who lives in the same house, said he heard a commotion and came upstairs to see what was going on, according to charging documents. When he saw the injured baby, he called 911.

According to charging documents, Krampf later confessed to police that he shook the baby "for an extended period of time" to get her to stop crying. He also admitted that he "might have squeezed the baby too hard," according to documents. When she stopped crying, he thought she had finally fallen asleep and put her back on the bed.

The child died Thursday morning as a result of her injuries, according to police. A radiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital said her injuries "were compatible with non-accidental trauma," according to charging documents.

Krampf is being held at the Howard County Detention Center on $1 million bond, police said.